October 31, 2011

On the 20th anniversary of "the perfect storm", the infamous 1991 n'oreaster, the northeast gets walloped by a huge blizzard while still waiting for the oaks to turn. Concord was spared much of the rath, but its fields lay flooded and frozen and its vistas are hauntingly disheveled and beautiful.

The program will include my photographs, historic materials, recent research, and stories that recount the natural and social history and unique ecology that make Concord's Gowing's Swamp and Thoreau's Bog such an intimate and magical landscape, one that has inspired more than a century and a half of study, reflection, and protective response. Also, learn about recent citizen efforts to defend this fragile wetland complex from the potential impact of proposed development and to seek permanent preservation of its waters and surrounding shorelines.

October 4, 2011

A continuing series of monthly walks exploring the landscape, plants
and seasonal wonders of Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord

The warm glow of October's oaken hillsides can be felt as much as seen. Grasses have turned to gold, cattails hold their cottony seeds aloft, mushrooms burst from rotting wood in the floodplain, and waves of blackbirds ripple across clear skies. Join us for a walk in beauty throughout the refuge.

Led by Cherrie Corey, local naturalist and photographer

No pre-registration required. A $5/person voluntary donation
will be gratefully accepted.

Co-sponsored by Musketaquid Arts and Environment
and Friends of the Assabet River NWR

About Sense of Place - Concord

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time. - T. S. Elliot

Sense of Place - Concord is a community and internet-based, shared-learning initiative launched in 2008 by naturalist and photographer, Cherrie Corey, and attracting hundreds of participants of all ages. Under its framework, Cherrie and collaborating colleagues, have offered an array of natural history programs, walks, and on-line learning resources that inspire a deeper, more attentive connection to place, seasonal cycles, and participants' personal unfolding in the wild and cultivated landscapes around them. Offerings focus on the Concord and related New England landscapes, Thoreau's legacy, and the area's rich natural history, scientific, and philosophical traditions.

In addition to the following co-sponsors and collaborators, seasonal programs and field trips are also offered for other community and special interest groups. Clients and co-sponsors: Carlton-Willard at Home, Carroll School, CCTV, Clark University, Concord Children's Center, Concord Free Public Library, Concord Museum, Concord Land Conservation Trust, Concord Public Schools, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, Friends of the Assabet River NWR, the Garden Club of Concord, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Littleton Conservation Trust, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Musketaquid Arts and Environment Program, The Nature Connection, New England Wildflower Society, Nature Playscape at Ripley, Oakfield Research, Sudbury Valley Trustees, Rivers & Revolutions/CCHS, Thoreau Farm Trust, The Thoreau Institute/Walden Woods Project, The Thoreau Society, Town of Concord - Dept. of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wayland Historical Society. Seasonal programs and field trips are also offered for other community and special interest groups.